Lost my Kidzone after rebuilding w/InstantCake

[ktadros]

I just replaced the original drive in my TCD540080 Series2 cause it crashed. Less than 2 years of use. Short life! I used InstantCake to build my new 320GB drive. Worked as smoothly as I could have hoped for.

Only now, I'm a little jealous of all the other success stories posted in these forums who were able to get their Kidzone and SeasonPasses automatically re-appearing. None of those have re-appeared for me. I seem to have lost Kidzone entirely. I had been using it for several months. And there doesn't seem to be a way to "install" Kidzone through Tivo Central or TCO.

My main desire is to get Kidzone, again. Any suggestions?

[Da Goon]

If you used instantcake, then you basically restored a "blank" image on the drive. Which means absolutely none of your previous settings or SP's will still be there. You may need to make a few calls out to tivo, and maybe even download a new s/w version before certain things such as KidZone reappear.

[mick66]

If you used instantcake, then you basically restored a "blank" image on the drive. Which means absolutely none of your previous settings or SP's will still be there. You may need to make a few calls out to tivo, and maybe even download a new s/w version before certain things such as KidZone reappear.

Except with certain features that allow Tivo to track and keep information regarding your Tivo(s). In those cases, when a tivo is upgraded and no information from the old HD is on the new HD, the Tivo system will replace all of the missing SP's, WL's and such. It's an unintended "feature"

[ktadros]

Thanks guys.

Just for kicks, I called Tivo customer support and confirmed that the system should automatically recognize I don't have the latest software and push an update to my TiVo unit. They can't force the push. They had no idea how long I would have to wait for the automatic update to happen. It's been more than 48 hours and no updates yet. I'm connected over broadband. So connectivity shouldn't be the limiter. >>> Looks like patience has to be my cure. <<<

So... now my concern is what happens if the update never comes? And why doesn't InstantCake come configured with Kidzone, Tivo2Go, etc?

Just FYI... TiVo customer support told me that they would have replaced my unit had I not toyed with it. I was a bit surprised since the warranty on the hardware is only for 90 days. I'm guessing there would have been some hidden fees - but I didn't dive into that discussion. The customer service rep didn't seem to mind that I upgraded the HDD. I suppose it's no surprise that TiVo should care mostly about collecting the monthly access charge.

Let's see what happens over the next week.

[DaveLessnau]

I'm surprised it hasn't updated already. Every time I've put an old TiVo image on a drive (manually done, not via InstantCake), the TiVo has updated to the latest software on the first call in. Force a call and see what its status is after it finishes the process.

[ktadros]

what a difference 3 days make... Woke up this morning to find my TiVo was back in action with Kidzone, GuruGuides, TiVoCast, and Tivo2go. So now I'm back in business with over 300 hours of recording time [320GB HDD upgrade]. Aside from the unexpected measure of patience required for the TiVo automated software push, and a relatively minor cost of $20 for the InstantCake download, this ranks near the top of my list of easy upgrades.

I appreciate everyone's support!